Archive for October 30th, 2007

Green Restaurant Caters to Food Allergy

Eating out is often not an option for people with certain food allergies. Between gluten, dairy, trans-fats and excess calories-typical menus are like minefields to those with limited diets.

The Balanced Kitchen serves food without limits for those looking to eat out and enjoy a gluten-free, vegan and organic lifestyle under one roof.

About one in 133 Americans suffer from celiac disease, which is an auto-immune disease that prevents people from processing a protein in wheat, barley and rye. Switching to a gluten-free diet is the only treatment for celiac sufferers.

“There’s a huge push for awareness and education about food allergens if you’re a chef to make these things that are usually off limits available and accessible,” said Zachary Bello, executive chef for The Balanced Kitchen. “As a chef, you’re already in the business to please the public. To please the public now, you need to know these needs.”

Bello assures customers that the restaurant is 100 percent gluten-free and 100 vegan. So nothing on this menu is off limits.

In addition, the resaurant, which plans to open in November at 6263 N. McCormick Road, has been LEED-certified and aims to incorporate as many eco-frindly practices as possible.

October 30 2007 | Green Places and Green Food | No Comments »

Green Affordable Housing

If people are working toward making housing affordable in Chicago, why don’t they go ahead and kill two birds with one stone and make it green as well?

Buildings account for 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and therefore, developers and architects need to be mindful of placing more eco-friendly structures within the city. On top of high levels of greenhouse gas emissions, costs of energy and housing in general seem to always be on the rise. Buyers and renters need help finding accessible green options for their current and future homes.

One company is showing Chicagoans how to put that notion into practice.

At the Greenbuild Conference coming up in Chicago on November 5, Global Green USA will discuss some viable solutions to meeting the rapidly growing need for green affordable housing in the area.

An expert on building green, Walker Wells, will join developers from Chicago and throughout the Midwest to explain how to avoid using toxic chemicals and reduce energy bills for residents.

Events like this are important to the Chicago community because environmental experts coach average citizens, who are interested in doing more to sustain a healthy living environment, how to go beyond changing a lightbulb.

October 30 2007 | Green Places and Green Events | No Comments »